Clip



Dec.. 23, 1952 G. H. BUCKNER CLIP Filed June l, 1950 I N V EN TOR. @5W-@gaf .50c/swf@ ATTO/PNE' ys Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in clips of the type wherein the clamping action between a pair of gripping members appears as a result of the conguration given to a properly formed piece of resilient material, and has particular application in the field of hair-dressing for positioning hair; especially, maintaining curls in position after the hair has been set and during drying.

Clips of this general type may be described as consisting essentially of a -loop portion, in which the resiliency which produces the clamping action between the gripping members fis principally concentrated, with the ends of the material of the loop being extended over and under each other to form the gripping members. The principal improvements of the present invention to this type of clip comprise, in a one-piece construction, gripping members composed of a plurality of laterally spaced tines to effect a relatively wide area of clamping and positioning action; a loop portion having integral spring action and shaped to provide definite handling portions to facilitate the positioning of the clip and separation of the gripping members by a user; and a clip `adapted for light weight, low cost fabrication. Other improvements will be brought out in the detailed description which follows.

Two embodiments `of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, these being diiferentiated from each `other principally in the construction of the gripping members employed. In these drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a clip constructed in accordance with the present invention and having its gripping members each composed of a pair of spaced tines;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the clip `of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the clip as cut from a at sheet ci material and before being bent to finished shape, or in other words, a clip blank;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing a blank for an alternate form of clip construction; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a clip made from the blank illustrated in Fig. 5.

Referring iirst to Fig. 4, the clip blank shown has been stamped in one piece from sheet material and has been shaped with a central portion II bounded by two transverse webs I2 and I 3, with a gripping member extending from each side of the central portion H. The right hand gripping member is composed of a pair of diverged a tines I4 while the left hand gripping member is composed of a pair of substantially parallel tines I5.

The central portion I I is tapered from its Width across the web I2 at the base of the parallel tines I5 to its width across the web I3 at the base of the diverging tines I4, with the width across the web I3 being slightly less than the distance between the parallel tines l5 at their base. Each of the pair of tines I4 and I5 have their outer ends I6 and I 'I, respectively, substantially equally spaced. The aperture provided in the central portion I I has the function of increasing the re.- siliency of this portion of the clip as Well as reducing the overall weight of the clip.

A clip blank formed as shown in Fig. 4 is bent to the shape of a finished clip in the manner best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 and so that the central portion I I is formed into a loop from which the parallel tines I5 extend in substantially a straight line. The diverging tines I4 extend upwardly into the space between the parallel tines and then curve downwardly so that the ends of both -pair of tines come into juxtaposition. In forming the loop, it is preferably shaped to the irregular -conguration shown in order to the improve its spring `action and to aid a user in operating the clip, the loop being dened by sections I8 land I9 having a minimum amount of curvature and a section 2B joining these sections It and I9, with the greatest amount of curvature being Yformed in the section 20. Most of the resiliency of the loop thereby becomes concentrated in section 20, with sections I8 and I9 becoming what may be termed the handles of the clip-being adapted to be grasped by the thumb and a nger of a user. Another feature in the shape given to the loop is that the section ZI thereof which extends between the section I9 and the base of the tines I4 is formed so that this portion of the loop does not extend below the plane of the parallel or lower tines and therefore the loop will not cause a poor positioning of the clip due to interference with another surface.

With the clip formed in this manner, it ,is obvious that if pressure is applied to the sections I8 and I9 of the loop portion to force these sections toward each other, the tines or gripping members of the clip will be separated and can be positioned over and under a lock of hair. The amount of pressure required to produce separation of the clamping members for a given amount oi spring action in the loop is minimized due to the fact that the greatest curvature of the 100D occurs in the short section 2D thereof, and the adjacent sections I8 and l 9 therefore act as lever In the forming or bending of the blank of Fig. 4 to nal shape, the amount that the upper clamping member is made to extend above the line of the lower clamping member should be preferably limited as much as possible in order that the clamping action may be uniform over the length of the tines. Such uniformity of clamping action is also increased by making the tines with a tapering cross-sectional area as shown to provide increased flexibilty toward their ends.

Regarding the alternate form of construction, shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the clip blank of Fig. 5 provides one gripping member consisting of a pair of tines 22 connected by an end section 23 and a second gripping member consisting of a single tine 24. These gripping members are joined by an apertured central portion Ila. As shown in Fig. 6, this blank is shaped into a loop similar to that previously described, that is, having sections of minimum curvature Ia and I9a joined by a section of maximum curvature 20a, with the lower section 2|a completing the loop.

In addition to possessing all the features of the clip of Figs. 1 to 4, this form of the invention is especially suitable for smaller sizes of clips since it can be made light enough so that its 'weight will not interfere with the desired positioning of a small lock of hair.

Although the specific structures described herein illustrate applications of the invention in the iield of hair-dressing, it is to be recognized that there are other instances where the features of clip construction defined in the following claims may be applied.

I claim:

l. A clip adapted to be formed from a continuous length of material shaped to provide a lower gripping member, an upper gripping member, one of said gripping members comprising a pair of spaced tines, a central portion extending between said lower and upper gripping members, said central portion being bent to form a loop of irregular curvature, said loop having a plurality of extended sections of minimum curvature joined by a limited resilient section of maximum curvature and one of said gripping members passing between said spaced tines of the other gripping member adjacent said loop.

2. A clip having a loop portion of irregular curvature, upper and lower gripping members, each extending as a continuation of the material of said loop, one of said gripping members comprising a plurality of spaced tines, the other of said gripping members passing between said spaced tines adjacent said loop, said loop portion being located substantially above the level of said lower gripping member, and said loop portion being provided with a plurality of extended sections of minimum curvature joined by a limited resilient section of maximum curvature whereby said upper and lower gripping members are normally urged to gripping position prin-- cipally by the action of said limited resilient section and whereby said gripping members can be moved to separated positions by exerting compressive force upon said extended sections.

3. A clip adapted to be formed from a continuous length of material shaped to provide a pair of spaced substantially parallel tines, a second pair of tines, a web portion extending between said pairs of tines, said web portion having a width at the base of said second pair of tines less than the space between said parallel tines,

said second pair of tines diverging from the face thereof to contact said parallel tines, said web portion being bent to form a loop of irregular curvature, said loop having a plurality of extended sections of minimum curvature joined by a limited resilient section of maximum curvature, the major portion of the length of each of said pairs of tines being substantially parallel when said pairs of tines are in contact.

4. A clip havingv a loop of irregular curvature, a pair of spaced substantially parallel tines extending as a continuation of the material of said loop, a second pair of tines extending from said loop, said second pair of tines passing between said parallel tines adjacent said loop and diverging to Contact said parallel tines, said pairs of tines being normally urged into engagement by resiliency in the material of said loop, and said loop being provided with an aperture in the material thereof and with a plurality of extended sections of minimum curvature joined by a limited section of maximum curvature whereby said pairs of tines can be readily separated by exerting a compressive force upon said extended sections of said loop.

5. A clip adapted to be formed from a continuous length of material shaped to provide a gripping member, comprising a pair of spaced substantially parallel tines, an end section joining the extremities of said tines, a second gripping member comprising a single tine having a width less than the space between said pair of parallel tines, a central portion extending between said gripping members, said central portion being bent to form a loop of irregular curvature, said loop having a plurality of extended sections of minimum curvature joined by a limited resilient section of maximum curvature, said gripping members passing between the spaced tines of said first-mentioned gripping member adjacent said loop and said loop being positioned substantially above the level of the lower of said gripping members.

6. A clip adapted to be formed from a continuous length of material shaped to provide relatively long upper and lower gripping members, said gripping members being substantially parallel throughout their eflective lengths, one of said gripping members comprising a pair of spaced tines, a central portion extending between said upper and lower gripping members, said central portion being bent to form a loop of irregular curvature, said loop having a plurality of extended sections of minimum curvature joined by a limited resilient section of maximum curvature, one of said gripping members passing between said spaced tines of the other gripping member adjacent said loop and normally contacting an outer portion of said other gripping member.

GERTRUDE H. BUCKNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Dato 2,269,318 Caldwell July 30. 1940 2,517,971 Campanella Aug. 3, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 51,517 Denmark Apr. 14, 1935 646,875 France July 23, 1923 

